


Desperation

by SweetAshori



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Romance, Budding Love, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, GenHaku, Gentle Kissing, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Mild Language, Out of Character, Romance, TKSevents, genkoha, kohagen, mutual feelings, tks ゲ ン の 週末 2020, tksgenweekend2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26691166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetAshori/pseuds/SweetAshori
Summary: Kohaku is injured and limping after a training exercise gone wrong. As she tries to get back home, she is found by Gen, the mentalist panicked at her physical state. With no other choices around, it's up to him to bring her back home. However, in the aftermath, he experiences emotions that he doesn't know how to process when it comes to the resident huntress.
Relationships: Asagiri Gen & Kohaku, Asagiri Gen/Kohaku
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19
Collections: TKS Gen Weekend Sept. 2020





	Desperation

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Dr. STONE. Just a whole lot of ideas for fanfics.
> 
> Authoress' Note: So I actually started this fic awhile back, during my slump trying to write Triangles Chapter 3, but I stopped partway through. So, after hearing about Gen Weekend on Twitter, I decided to dust it off and finish it! Please enjoy!

“Crap... this isn't good...”

Kohaku seethed as she attempted to get up, faltering as she put pressure on her right leg, yelping as she fell to the ground again, trying to brace herself but ultimately felt the dirt hit her face. She let out a curse, once again trying to get up, her entire body quivering and feeling nothing but pain shoot up her frame.

What started out as a personal day of training turned into a worst nightmare. She just wanted to be alone, strengthening her skills without having to compensate for someone else. It wasn't the first time that she's done such a thing, and normally it occurred without an incident. However, she didn't expect to misstep, for her ankle to twist around, for her to fall several feet down the rocky cliffside where she had chosen to train at, for one sharp stone to cut deep into her right side, to land upon the ground covered in bruises, dust, and scratches. Everything was not as it should be, and now she was far from her home and someone that could help her, struggling to place any sort of weight on her right side, struggling to put pressure on the wound to try and stop the blood that was dripping out of her.

But she had to... she had to move. She had to get up. Had to make her way back home somehow. Somehow or another, she had to move. Once again she attempted to get up, struggling and seething, yelping at the pain wrecked her body, finally getting herself upright. That was a good first step, she told herself, but there was still a long way to go. Her right hand holding very tightly to her side, she tried to ignore the disgusting feeling of her blood against her fingers, stepping hard with her left foot and her right foot nearly dragging behind her. One step... two steps... three... she almost fell as she attempted to step with her right foot, not able to put pressure on it enough to walk as she normally would.

“Shit--!” she cried out again, this time making sure she didn't fall completely to the ground as she did before.

She barely made a dent from where she had fallen, but she couldn't give up... somehow, someway, she was going to make it home. Make it back to Senku, knowing full well that he would know what to do to heal her wounds. But she was so far out; how would she be able to make it back all alone? The doubt and fear was becoming as abundant as the pain as she continued to move, eventually reaching a line of trees where she was, at least, able to use their giant trunks as leverage to keep her largely upright.

Somehow... someway... somehow... someway... she repeated those words over and over again... Move. Move. Go. Get up. Don't give up. Move... Even if it took all day, all night... move... move!

Her injured appendage caught itself on a protruding root and she screamed as she fell to the ground, unable to fully brace herself for the impact. Sea-green eyes were hurting from the dirt and tears, and she was certain that she had accidentally caused the gash in her side to start bleeding again, despite all of her efforts that got it to stop in the first place. Her mind was getting foggy, exhaustion and pain becoming all she could think of.

She clawed her way up the tree trunk, getting herself standing again, panting heavily as she grimaced, trying again to keep moving. She didn't look back to see how far she could've gotten, nor had any idea how long it's been since she started her journey back. She only now realized that she didn't even have her weapons on her, remembering that she had dropped them as she fell. That thought didn't help at all either; if she were to be suddenly attacked by an animal or enemy, she'd be completely and totally defenseless. Not that she would've done much with her weapons, given her current state, but still... She hated this. Hated the pain, hated the fog. Hated herself for making such a careless mistake that left her in this position.

If she ever went training alone again, she would make sure that this would never happen again. But to get to that point, she had to get back home. Back to her loved ones. Back to the Kingdom of Science. Back... she had to get back. She had to move. One step at a time... move... move!

Her vision was blurring, and she could barely keep a steady breath. At any moment, she felt as though she could pass out. But she couldn't do that... she had to move! Move! No matter what, she had to move! She had to... had to.. had to--

The fog was growing too thick, the pain too great, her sight was fading... The last thing she could kinda make out was some sort of approaching shadow, but couldn't figure out what exactly it was. Her eyes shut, her mind went blank, her body failing her and faltering, and her last hope was that she would pass out before her body hit the ground.

\----------

Gen Asagiri sighed happily, enjoying his walk among the trees.

He managed to give the slip to the workaholic Kingdom of Science, particularly Senku and Kaseki, wanting to give himself a well-earned day off. No forced labor, no excessive sweating, no passing out from exhaustion. Just a nice walk through the forest, enjoying the spring breezes, scents, and noises. Of course, he didn't stay out too far from the main base, just in case some sort of trouble came his way, but far enough where someone likely wouldn't make the effort to find and drag him back to work.

He paused on his walk when he felt a rather pleasant breeze make its way through the trees, lifting his head up to view peeks of blue sky and clouds through the canopy. “Ah, how nice~” he sing-songed, closing his eyes as he took in a deep breath, exhaling and feeling more relaxed as a result.

A good, spring day does wonders on the body, mind, and soul, he believed in that more and more nowadays, now that he had more time to actually enjoy the natural world. It was something he didn't always have the opportunity to enjoy in the modern world, given how busy he would be with his work, but now he could at least attempt to enjoy it.

He heard some rustling and movement among the trees, although at first he paid it no mind. There were plenty of small creatures that ran around, living mostly undisturbed by human beings, so he was sure it was something like that. Beginning to walk again, the sound grew a bit louder, but it was staggered, almost as though whomever or whatever was making that noise was taking their sweet time moving through the trees. Still, Gen didn't give it a lot of thought, even as the noise got louder. He likely was just passing by the source of the noise; he was cautious, in case it was some sort of stalker, but he was certain it was of no trouble either. As long as he didn't bother it, it shouldn't bother him.

He stopped when he heard the voice of whatever it was that made the rustling noise, a strained voice, letting go of a loud curse. The voice sounded too stressed to make out if it were masculine or feminine, but what Gen knew for sure is that whomever it was sounded like they were in trouble.

The man had thought of turning tail and going back towards the village, a cowardly move to be certain, but if it were something more extreme, he knew it'd be wiser to bring back someone like Kohaku or Kinro, someone who was more able to fight if the need came forth. However, he also knew that, by doing such a thing, there was risk that the person in potential trouble would find themselves in a worse state. He was the only one around that could potentially help, and while he was admittedly selfish and superficial, he did have some semblance of empathy towards others that could use it.

Another curse rang out. Gen turned towards it, the sound telling him that it was almost upon him. The voice was more feminine, he could hear that now, but he could also hear how much more pained it was as well. The person was definitely injured somehow; that told him that, for sure, there was no need to go back to get someone to fight. But perhaps he would need to go back to get someone to help.

Three more footsteps, going around a tree, and now Gen could see clearly who it was that was in trouble. Dark cerulean eyes widened, lips falling agape, heart racing as the reality of what he was seeing hit him. “K-Kohaku-chan!”

A few feet away from him was the huntress, in a total state of disarray that he had never seen her in before. Covered in dirt, limping, bleeding... the sight of her scared him more than he could even recall actually be scared before. He's known fear, he could display it very easily, but this... this was a different sort of fear. What the hell could she have faced to be walking away looking like this!?

He watched as she began to fall, eyes closing and body going limp. “Kohaku-chan!” he called out again, running towards her, reaching her just in time to try and brace her from falling entirely to the dirt, the full weight of her body knocking him down to his knees. Arms wrapped around her, trying to keep her partly upright, ignoring the feel of blood against his skin. “Kohaku-chan, what happened? Did someone attack you?” his voice came out in a shaky mess, “Kohaku-chan!? Wake up! Wake up, please!”

She groaned, as if responded to his voice, but it was weak. She tried to open her eyes, her vision entirely blurred, unable to keep her breathing steady. She tried to force her vision to clear, another hiss coming through her lips as the strain irritated her already pained head. She was so close to passing out, she could barely understand the voice that was calling out to her, but it almost sounded familiar. She was certain it was someone from the village. She tried again to see through the blur, trying to force herself to stay awake, to try and figure out and maybe reassure the person who was holding her, able to tell from the tone of the voice that they were panicked over her current state.

The hair... the scar... she could make them out a bit. Split hair in black and white... a scar across one eye. Kohaku smiled, and Gen froze, his cries to her now dying on his tongue. She was seeing who is was, and now through the pain there was relief. It was someone familiar. Someone who could help her. Someone that she was so, so happy to see again, fearing that she would never see anyone she's cared for ever again with how things were going.

“Gen...”

The mentalist had never heard his name said in such a way before. Obviously, she was struggling to say any sort of words, but the amount of sheer relief that came through in that near-whisper call almost frightened the mentalist. But he couldn't focus on that, not right now. What he needed to do was help her, get her back to the main base, have Senku take care of her, knowing that he would be the best one to handle her injuries. But how was the question. The camp wasn't too far away, but with her barely conscious and injured as she was, he knew that it'd be dangerous if she were left alone. How she even managed to get to him was a surprise, given her bleeding wounds and her dragging leg.

He couldn't just leave her alone. That wasn't an option. He was the only one around; he needed to bring her back. No matter what, he needed to do it. And he will.

Gen steeled himself, hands and arms tightening around her as he braced himself. So much for an easy day, but he could lament that later. Scared eyes watched as she struggled to stay awake, her breathing so labored that he was afraid she would stop at any point. He wasn't sure how he was going to do this, his physical strength far less than her own, but he knew what he had to do. “Kohaku-chan, please bare with me. This isn't going to be comfortable for you,” he apologized, “But if you can, please try to stand on your own. Just for a moment.”

She heard him, but didn't respond right away. Every bit of her was tired, hurting, screaming, and even a few seconds of standing was going to be the absolute worse hell possible. Still, she made it this far, and she knew that she had to do this. Had to go at this one moment more. Using Gen's body as her leverage, she clung to his clothes, his arms trying to steady her, her breath in strained pants mixing with seethes and yelps as she managed to get onto her feet. Quick as he promised, he released her briefly to allow himself to turn around, his back to her, just in time for her to collapse, falling against him with a soft force. He helped to position her arms around his neck, asking her to try and hold onto him, his own arms wrapping around and under her knees. With a hard and heavy groan, he lifted her up with him, his legs shaking and knees buckling from the extra weight he was not used to carrying.

“Okay... now for the hard part. Just hold on a bit longer, Kohaku-chan,” he muttered at first before turning his words towards her, trying to reassure her that she was in good hands.

He didn't need to say it, because she already knew. She smiled again, eyes shutting as she let out a short, relieving breath. Her arms squeezed him gently, her battered face laying against his shoulder.

“I'm so glad... you found me, Gen.”

Those final words were spoke in a whisper before she allowed unconsciousness to take her, a feeling of safety breaking through the clouds of the storm. He was shocked by her words, but he couldn't let himself fall into a trap of thinking about them. Now he had to be the one to move, had to break through every ounce of his personal weakness, had to bring her home. With steady but stilted steps, he moved, going through the trees and back down the path he had taken to get here in the first place, occasionally looking back to check on her, grateful that she was still breathing. Adrenaline drove him, he knew that, and he knew that his body will definitely hate him later once it dropped, but he didn't care.

All he could do was tell himself to move. Ignore the pain that he now had, ignore how tight his chest was feeling. How he felt or would feel didn't matter; what mattered was Kohaku. He had to move, had to walk... had to move. Move... move!

Camp eventually came into sight, much to his relief. “We're almost there, Kohaku-chan,” he told her, knowing that she likely couldn't hear him, but still wanted to say the words regardless.

The first person he saw was Suika, playing around with her pet dog, acting as sweet and innocent as she always did. As they played, she caught sight of the approaching figures, stopping in her tracks and gasping. “Gen! Kohaku!” she yelled, running towards them with panic etched on what was seen of her face beneath her melon hat.

“Suika-chan, go and get Senku. And tell Ginro or Kinro to help me with her,” he got out with a bit of a strain, unable to break his focus entirely off what he was doing, still sending her a semblance of a smile, namely out of reaction of happiness that this journey was over.

She nodded vigorously, fists brought together with an affirmative pump, turning back and running into the camp.

“Senku! Ginro, Kinro! Come quick! Kohaku's hurt!”

Her screams got everyone's attention, all turning towards her. Ginro and Kinro dropped their practice weapons, the tools in Kaseki's hands fell with a clatter, Senku and Chrome's conversation stopped in place. There was panic and concern as they all ran towards her and the arriving duo, seeing Gen's aspirated features and her injured form.

“What happened!?” was the collective question, along with others about her condition. Gen couldn't answer it, as he explained, feeling relief as Kinro took the pressure of her off of his back, holding her within his arms as Senku commanded for her to be brought to the laboratory, the fear in his voice apparent as he saw the extent of her injuries.

For a moment, Gen just watched, trying to catch his breath, allowing everyone else to fawn and flitter around Kohaku, grateful that he had succeeded in bringing her back home. However, he knew that things were far from done. “Suika-chan, can you see if you can't find Kohaku-chan's weapons? She didn't have them on her, but we know she never goes anywhere without them. They have to be somewhere out in the woods. Use Chalk's nose to try and locate them; certainly he's aware of her scent,” he asked of the junior sleuth, the girl instantly agreeing and calling for her pet to follow her.

With a smile towards her, he turned his attention back towards the laboratory, walking towards it and in. Kohaku was laid out upon the table, the rope that acted as her belt already untied and discarded to the floor, Senku examining her ankle. She was starting to stir at all of the attention, letting out whimpers as he moved it around, trying to determine exactly the condition. Chrome was at her head, trying to clean her face and skin of the dirt and scuffs, checking to see for any other wounds beneath it, while the others watched in worry over the injured huntress.

He broke through the crowd to get inside, ready to help despite how tired he was himself, the adrenaline still pumping through him. “How is she, Senku?” he questioned, figuring that he was already concluding the extent of her injuries and developing the plan to care for them.

“Looks like her ankle is more sprained than broken. As long as we get it wrapped up and she stays off of it, it should heal fine,” he explained, standing up from his position near her feet, “She has a bunch of smaller cuts and bruises, but those can be handled with some cleaning and bandages. It's this one that's the problem.”

He motioned towards the gash on her side. “She's going to need stitches. That's going to be a bitch,” he said, not at all thrilled by the prospect of it, “The wound isn't excessively deep and some basic threading should work, but we have no anesthesia to put her under. It's going to hurt like hell, not to mention we'll need to deep clean it and do everything we can to keep it from getting infected.”

“Whatever we need to do, we'll do it! Just tell us what we need to get!” Chrome exclaimed, his determination showing through, wanting to do whatever was needed to take care of his childhood friend.

“What we need first is some needle and thread. We'll also need plenty of materials for bandages. If Kohaku has a change of clothes, she'll need that too. Chrome, I need you to get my bottles of antiseptic from the shelf over there. Everyone else, go to the village and get the materials I said. If you see Ruri or Kokoyu, tell them what's up but don't panic them. Tell them I have everything under control, and they can see her when I'm done.”

With the orders made, everyone sprang into action: most everyone heading towards the village to gather the needed materials, Chrome grabbing the antiseptic and handing it to Senku before joining them. Gen moved closer to Kohaku's head as she struggled to open her eyes again, moaning as Senku started to try and undress her, knowing that she would need to have her dress removed in order to gain better access to the wound.

“What the hell were you doing out there, Kohaku?” Senku mumbled to himself, shocked that she could ever get this injured, fearing that maybe she was attacked by something or someone.

“... Clumsy,” she managed to get out, waking up enough to try and explain, “Training... ankle twisted... I fell...”

“You idiot,” he critiqued, although he said it in a tone that wasn't meant to kick her when she was down, knowing that she had to feel bad enough, and she let out the weakest laugh she probably ever did in response.

Her head turned towards Gen, lips turned into that smile as she weakly reached out to him, her fingers shaking. He grasped at her hand, concerned for what she was reaching out to him for, wrapping his appendages around her palm, hers loosely returning the favor.

“Yes, Kohaku-chan?” he called out to her, trying to reassure her with a smile despite his disposition.

“Thank you, Gen... I'm sorry... that I didn't say it before,” she replied, the words coming out strained and harsh from deep within her throat, but it held more meaning than what anything could in the moment.

He was beside himself, hearing and seeing and feeling her, the weight of them hitting him harder than probably any physical object or person could. She was truly grateful to him, happy that he found her, happy that he was quick to act, happy that he pushed through every facet of his own personal struggles to get her home. Happy that he saved her. While it was going to be Senku that would treat her wounds and heal her, if it wasn't for him, she would likely be passed out somewhere in the forest, not knowing when she might be found and if she would be alive by the time she was found. It was him that got her this far... he saved her life.

There was a heaviness in his chest, his teeth clenched, his hand that held hers quivered. His head fell, trying to keep his gaze from being seen. Senku eyed him from her other side, trying to act as though he wasn't noticing the change to his usual demeanor. However, he knew that this had to be hitting him in a way that he had never experience before. He, the self-serving mentalist, did everything he could to save the life of someone else, and to hear how grateful that life was to him... it must be a powerful feeling.

He lifted his head, flashing that smile of his that he used when he tried to hide something from another person, taking his other hand to brush back Kohaku's bangs from her face, using a gentle motion to show comfort, “Of course, Kohaku-chan.”

She nuzzled into his hand as it brushed against her skin. She wasn't sure why she did it, other than perhaps there was a calming warmth in his touch that, after all of the stress and strain and sweat she dealt with today, brought her peace and she wanted to absorb as much of it as possible. She almost missed it when he pulled that hand back, although he still kept a hold of her hand, still staying there to offer that warmth.

After what felt like an eternity, Chrome returned with his hands filled with the materials they needed, charging into the laboratory with a loud greeting. Everyone else remained outside, not wanting to crowd the small building but still wanting to be close in case they were needed. Kokoyu stood just outside of the doorway, in shock of the condition of his youngest daughter, but he was reassured quickly by Senku that he would take care of her. It didn't calm him much, but Kohaku's eyes did, her weakly looking towards him with a smile, telling him without words to trust Senku once again with one of his children, leaving the doorway with an acknowledging nod towards her.

“Okay, Chrome, Gen. You're going to have to help me here. When I use the antiseptic, it's going to hurt like a bitch. If she starts to flail, you'll need to help hold her down,” the scientist instructed, popping the cork off of the flask of the cleaning liquid, turning back towards Kohaku with his usual smirk, “I'm sorry for this, lioness. But you can handle this.”

She attempted to scoff. “I'm not a lioness,” she bit out, lightening up the mood a bit despite her own pain.

She trusted him. She trusted Gen and Chrome and everyone around her. As long as they were here, she was going to be okay. With a heavy sigh, Senku poured the antiseptic onto her side, it bubbling instantly as it hit her open wound. Kohaku let out a loud, blood-curdling scream as it burned, it echoing harshly off of the walls of the lab and making everyone outside cringe at its sound, her eyes shutting tight to the stimulation.

As expected, she did flail, Chrome acting quickly to hold down her legs as Gen tried to push down on her shoulder with his free hand. She squeezed his hand hard, the man flinching at the pain that shot through his fingers. The way she squeezed it surely bruised a few fingers, but he would check on it later. Right now wasn't the time; she needed to hold onto his hand, needed that knowledge and comfort, and come hell or high water, he was going to provide it.

Her throat was now intensely raw, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, the burning sensation slowly but steadily easing. Her eyes blurred with tears, the liquid streaming down her face. “I know, I'm sorry!” Senku apologized profusely, examining the wound and being careful with a piece of fabric to clean whatever came from it.

He hated that scream, and not just because of how much it hurt his ears. But he didn't allow it to break him, keeping his focus on the task at hand. She tried to look over at him, barely making out his features through her tears, before turning towards Chrome. He lessened the hold on her legs now that she had momentarily calmed down, his focus more on Senku's work than on her, but she knew that he was scared. Her gaze turned towards Gen, who also watched as the scientist worked, but realized the gaze that was on him. “You're doing good, Kohaku-chan,” he praised her, “Just hold on a little longer, okay?”

She squeezed his hand again, causing him to flinch at the pain, and she scowled. “Gen, I...” she wanted to apologize, knowing that in her state she had hurt him, but he wouldn't allow her to get the words out, placing a finger to his lips to stop her.

“Alright... looks like we got all of the dirt and crap out of the wound,” Senku remarked, wiping the sweat from his brow with his arm, trying not to touch his skin with the traces of her blood, “Now the next part.”

He took the needle and thread from the sachet it was placed in. He wish he had something more than the thread he had, but he had to deal with what he had, placing the creation of better sutures near the top of his invention list. Threading the needle with triple the string, hoping that it would do well to try and keep, he sterilized the objects with what remained of the antiseptic. “Okay, this is going to hurt again. Like a bunch of things piercing your skin over and over again,” he explained to her, “Just bare with me a little longer.”

She braced herself as much as she could, yelping as the needle went through her skin, flinching and moving. The grips on her body came back, trying to hold her down as he did this over and over again, going over the length of the wound. Each piercing hurt, followed by the weird feeling of the string being pulled through, stitching her skin back together. Throughout the entire ordeal, she would continue to squeeze Gen's hand, seeking out the comfort that his grip was providing. She knew it was hurting him, but he wouldn't allow her to pull back for that reason.

Once Senku said he was done, she let out a huge sigh of relief. She was ready to pass out again, barely able to keep her reddened eyes opened, but knew that there was still one more step: the bandages. Thankfully, this task was not as bad as the other parts of this mess. It still hurt, the way her body had to be gently lifted and moved in order for Senku to wrap her waist with the bandages, but as soon as her back hit the table again, she allowed her eyes to close, allowed herself to let sleep take over. She released the grip on Gen's hand, him softly placing her hand and arm back down to the table next to her.

“You did fantastic, Kohaku-chan,” he praised her again, although he was sure she didn't hear him, wiping her brow of sweat, smiling sweetly at her as her breathing started to return to normal.

“We still need to wrap up her ankle and bandage up the other wounds, but we'll let her get some rest first. Hey, Chrome, can you grab one of the blankets from the observatory?” Senku asked of his friend, stepping back from Kohaku and letting out a heavy but happy breath that he had finished the task and it seemed to have gone well.

The brunette nodded, leaving to grab the blanket. Ruri and Kokoyu appeared in the doorway, the elder sister holding a folded set of clothing in her arms. “Can we come in now, Senku?” she asked.

“Yeah. She's probably going to be out for awhile, but you can sit in here with her,” Senku commented, wiping his hands of blood and moving things out of the way to allow for them to comfortably settle around the table, moving towards and out of the lab after he was done, sending a non-verbal signal to Gen to follow him out as well.

The mentalist gazed once more at the exhausted huntress, smiling at her before letting his place be taken by Ruri, following Senku out as he commanded.

Once outside and after informing everyone of Kohaku's condition, he gave the order to help gather some materials to help construct a temporary recovery home for her, wanting to keep her close by in order for him to monitor her condition for any infection or other problems. Suika had returned at some point, handing Gen the blades and shield that she had dropped, happy with the praise received for a job well done. He called out to Kokoyu to take the weapons, knowing that Kohaku would likely be happy to see the return of her precious tools when she wakes up. Chrome would return just as Gen handed off the weapons, giving the blanket to Ruri, before joining the crew gathering the supplies Senku had requested.

With everyone else busy, Senku finally got Gen to sit down with him, holding out the extra bandages he had after wrapping Kohaku's wound.

“Let me see your hand, mentalist.”

\----------

Several hours later, Kohaku woke up, feeling absolutely groggy. There was still pain, but it was a lot less than before, having had things settle and ease a bit as she slept. While she was passed out, safely knowing that she wouldn't stir as he worked, Senku came back to wrap up her ankle, stabilizing it. The swelling was a bit of an issue, but he attempted use of a mixture of cold and heated compresses, using very cold water from the rivers and keeping the fabrics near flame to absorb the heat. It was the best he could think of to do in a short and rushed time frame, but it seemed to have done some good.

Ruri and Kokoyu were delighted to see Kohaku awake again, fawning over her and asking her a dozen questions of what happened and how she felt, eventually getting Senku's attention to have him do an examination of her for himself. Thankfully, the bleeding seemed to have stopped and the stitches were remaining, although he still wanted to keep an eye on her for a few weeks as she healed. Once Kohaku was dressed – done with a lot of assistance in order to not risk breaking anything open – using a gray-colored, long and unflattering dress, Kokoyu carefully and gently picked up his child – making a comment of how long it had been since he's done such a thing, much to Ruri's amusement and Kohaku's chagrin – and carried her to the finished recovery home. It was more of a tent, held up by large, square frames and support poles, but it didn't need to have a lot more than that. Inside was a platformed bed, made again of wooden frames and bases and settled with skins to play the idea of a soft mattress. The former chief placed her down onto this bed with some level of discomfort, Senku checking again to make sure there was no extra spots of bleeding from the movement.

“You're going to be incapacitated for awhile,” he explained to her once she was tucked into her new bed, “That gash is going to take some time to fully close up, and definitely can't risk you breaking open the stitches. Your ankle is going to need time off of it too; if you try to walk with it in this state, you could do more damage to it. If you hadn't already done damage already.”

“Ugh... sitting around and doing nothing is going to be the worse,” she complained, trying to not think about that latter aspect of Senku's diagnosis.

Senku chuckled, flashing her a devious smile, “Oh, don't worry, there's still work you can do without much extra movement.”

“Gee, thanks,” she bit back with sarcasm, although everyone let out quiet laughter, as the banter was namely meant to lighten the mood, now that Kohaku was seemingly out of danger.

From the opening flap of the tent, Gen stood in the way, watching everyone interact. Kohaku met his gaze, smiling at him, “Hey, Gen.”

“It's nice to see you awake and thriving, Kohaku-chan~” he greeted her, using his sing-song tone to represent his happiness in seeing her now sounding more normal again.

He didn't come in further to the tent, not wanting to crowd what little space was left in there, but also he didn't want to get close to her either. In the hours after she passed out, Gen had been fighting not just the adrenaline dump and all of the tired feelings gained from that, but also the emotions that rose within himself during the whole ordeal. Playing over her words in his head. Those words and feelings terrified him. He was terrified throughout the entire event, of course, but this was a different sort of fear.

He was superficial, self-serving, caring more about his ego and immediate desires versus some sort of long-term gain or intimate relationship with someone else. He would do what he can to help someone out, at least if he gained something from it. Much like what he has been doing for the Kingdom of Science, and there was things to be gained from saving Kohaku, of course – without her, the Kingdom would be without one of its prime warriors and hardest workers – but there was something more here than the typical menial labor or acts of espionage he would provide. He saved a life, he saved her life, and she expressed that in ways and sounds that hit him in ways that he didn't expect to ever feel.

To hear her say that she was happy he found her... to have her hold and cling to him, to look at him for that comfort she needed, to reach out to him... he realized that he wasn't just afraid of what happened to her, but _for_ her, afraid that this day he could've _lost_ her, and now seeing that she wasn't just another person in his easily played world, but an important part to him. It wasn't love or anything like that, he was more than sure, but he had some sort of feelings for her that wasn't just his usual “feelings” that he held for most anyone else. And that terrified him. He never felt this, never thought he'd feel this, and now that he realizes that he does, he didn't know what to do with them. For those reasons, he knew he had to stay distant from her, afraid of what he'd do or feel if he were to be near her right now.

“Is your hand okay?” she asked, motioning her gaze to his wrapped up appendages.

“Yes, I'm totally fine!” he explained, waving his hand at her, “Nothing to worry about, my dear; it looks worse than it actually does, I promise.”

He was lying; he was going to need to keep his hand bandaged for a few days at least, still having pain in his fingers from how hard she crushed them. She could tell he was lying, but didn't call him out on it. There was an understanding here that, while she may feel guilty, he didn't want her to berate herself for it. She needed him, and he wanted to be there for her; what came from that was what it was, and there was no need for anything else.

The subject died from there, finishing with a knowing smile at one another, Ruri then striking up conversation about what can be done to assist with Kohaku while she was in this condition. With everyone now busy with other discussion, Gen took the chance to slip away, thinking he wouldn't be noticed.

Although he was, by an ocean of mixed emotions.

Over the next two weeks, Kohaku made a lot of strides in her recovery. Her strong body proved to be a benefit to this, although she didn't make any sort of huge moves. Thankfully, her wound didn't get infected, although much of this was thanks to Senku's regular cleaning of it. She still hated the hell out of the burns from the antiseptic, but she tolerated it, knowing that it was doing its job. For the earliest parts of her recovery, she would need someone to help her with so many mundane tasks she took for granted, something she hated probably worse than the wound cleaning, but as the wound healed and seemed far less at risk of breaking open, she was able to do things such as sitting up without help from another person.

Walking became an annoying task, having to lean on someone else in order to not put immense pressure on her sprained ankle. The swelling went down by leaps and bounds over time, bruising around it from impacts with the ground also fading, and eventually she was able to step on it without much pain, giving a good sign that it wasn't internally damaged more than it was. After a third week, she was able to start walking on her ankle with no problems, although her wound was still a problem, still needed some assistance with things. Thankfully, Ruri and Suika were nearly always at her side, although everyone else would make their rounds to check in on her and help out when she needed it.

Everyone except for Gen.

He has been around her, not entirely avoiding her, but it was usually as a tag-on with someone else. There would be a few words shared, but he would quickly leave before they could even start a larger conversation. The lack of interaction from him both hurt and frustrated the healing huntress, both stemming from confusion as to why he was avoiding her. She didn't understand why, now that she was on the mend, he was pulling himself away from her. But she wanted to know. No, _needed_ to know, but any attempts to make him stay proved futile at best. No one else seemed to have understood it either, unable to answer her when she questioned them about it. Senku seemed to have some better idea of his reasons, but refused to tell her when pressed, telling her that he would approach her on his own when he wanted to bring it up. A very unsatisfying answer, to be sure, but she would let the subject drop from there.

Although Senku didn't drop it. He couldn't force them to talk, but at least he could make it so that they would be alone and perhaps chatting could come up. His plan was probably the laziest thing he could come up with: commanding Gen to bring Kohaku her nightly meal. Of course, the mentalist was not a fan of this idea, but it was insisted upon that he would bring her the meal, the scientist subtly discouraging another volunteer from joining him on this task once he finally relented.

Gen sighed, holding the bowl filled with stew and a cup of water on a makeshift clay tray, standing right outside of the tent for a few moments when he was sure he wasn't being watched by anyone else. He hated the dreadful feeling settling in his stomach, but he decided to just make it simple: converse with her a bit as he gave her her food, then leave while she ate. He didn't have to do more than that, and then he could go back to avoiding her as he was doing. Yes, that is what he'll do.

Putting on that clever smile of his, he pulled back the flap to the tent, opening it up, “Good evening, Kohaku-chan~ Are you hungry? I have your dinner.”

Sitting up on the bed, leaned up against a wooden headboard hastily made once she was able to better sit upright, with hands holding a piece of charcoal and a cleaned skin spread across a hospital-esque rotating table, Kohaku looked up from her rudimentary drawing attempts – something Senku taught her about to try and keep her hands busy during the downtime – and smiled at her visitor. She was actually more than happy to see Gen standing there, her heart giving a little extra thump in response to her delight. “Hey, Gen! Yes, I'm feeling pretty hungry,” she replied to him, putting the charcoal down and pushing it and the skins to one side, allowing Gen to set the food down onto the table.

Their gazes met closely as he leaned over her to place it down, the bright water meeting the darkened sea, but it didn't last long, him pulling back as quick as he could, not wanting to have this sort of proximity between them.

“Is your hand doing better?” she asked, noticing that the bandages were gone but there was some light purple tints to it that she could see even in the dim candlelight that illuminated the tent.

“Yes, much better, thank you,” he answered, probably more curtly than he should have, Kohaku's brow flinching subtly at the tone of the words.

“I'm glad to hear that,” she replied with relief before her voice tapered off, “... I hadn't seen you too much lately, so I was curious.”

“I'm sorry that I worried you,” he apologized, trying to sound sincere – and he was! - but she was no fool to his tone.

He wanted to leave again. He wanted to end this, dismiss himself, and go. Just as he's done several times already. There was pain in her stomach, but not from the gash or her hunger, but from the mix of her sadness and anger.

“I'll leave you to eat. Try and get your fill, and then you should probably get some more sleep,” he said, mixing a playful underlay to his words, turning and stepping back from her bedside.

“Gen, wait!” she called out to him, trying not to yell and alert anyone outside, as she knew that if someone did, he would find a way to slip away from her.

He stopped and turned his head back towards her, over his shoulder, “Yes, Kohaku-chan?”

“Why are you avoiding me?”

He turned back towards her, “I haven't, my dear! I've been visiting you as I can.”

“You can lie to a lot of people, but you can't lie to me and you know it.”

“I'm not lying to you, Kohaku-chan.”

“Yes. You. Are.”

They remained in a stand-off, Gen with his usual deflecting grin and Kohaku with teeth bared and brows furrowed. She pushed the tray over her away, following Senku's instruction on how to turn it on its rotating axle to move it from its hovering position over her lap, not wanting to accidentally hit it in her building anger. “You've been coming in here, yeah, but you'd barely say two words to me before you leave. Anytime you do come in here, you're with someone too. It's like you want nothing to do with me, and I don't know why,” she shared, trying not to let her voice crack or break as she spoke.

Gen knew that she was feeling this way. He had heard it from the others that she was asking about him, wondering why he hadn't spent time with her like what everyone else had. He always had an excuse – he was busy with something or another that Senku or Kaseki had for him, he wasn't feeling too well and didn't want to risk Kohaku getting sick as she was more susceptible to illness in her laid out state, he already did visit her, but she was asleep at the time – largely all of them being lies or half-truths, and he would be taken at face value for them and not pressed further on the subject. And he wanted, so badly, to tell her that what she felt was not the reality of the situation, but knew that it would lead to trying to find out the “why”s and he wasn't ready for that.

He wasn't sure if he'd ever be ready for it, but he figured that, once she was back up on her feet and back to her usual grind, he would feel better. All of those weird and frightening feelings of his would go away, figuring they were only a factor because of what had happened, and he would be able to interact with her more normally again. That's what he thought, and he was a fool for it to be sure, but such was the strength of his denial. Not wanting to accept that he held something more for someone else and not just himself.

“I'm sorry that I made you think that way, Kohaku-chan,” he apologized again, “I have tried to make time to visit, but you know how things go around here.”

“Bullcrap. Even Senku managed to spend a long time with me and not just to check out my wounds, and he's busier than anyone else,” she called him out, “And knowing you, you could weasel out of work to spend time with me, and no one would bat an eye at it.”

She wasn't wrong; she wasn't called a lioness for nothing. She was a queen of observation, intelligent and aware of most of the things he could try against her and able to counter it. He couldn't say a word against it, and that made her more irritated than she already was.

“Why have you been avoiding me, Gen?”

“That hasn't been my intention.”

“Okay, it hasn't been your intention. Fine. But why have you then?”

“I'm sorry that I've upset you.”

“You're upsetting me more by not answering the question.”

“I'm sorry.”

She growled, and he sighed. This was going nowhere, and that's exactly what Gen wanted: he wanted her to give up on the subject. He didn't want to make her angry, but knew that if she was angry enough she would potentially force him to leave, allowing him to avoid the subject altogether. Of course, it will come back later to bite him in the ass, but the longer he could kick this can down the road, as it were, the better he felt about it. He didn't want to have to deal with this, didn't want to have this conversation with her. Not now or ever, but definitely not now.

“You really need to eat and get more rest, Kohaku-chan. Senku was discussing the idea of letting you do some light training tomorrow; won't that be something wonderful?” he remarked, “So it's best if you're well rested for that.”

He went to turn to leave again, leaving her feeling more angry and desperate to get the answers she wanted. She threw back the blanket covering her legs, making harsh movements to try and get up, wanting to physically stop him from walking away from her. “Gen, wait! Please!” she called out, flinching at the pain in her side, “Ow!”

Her hands went to her injury and Gen snapped back, eyes wide and shocked, “Kohaku-chan!” he yelled, running towards her, arms at her shoulders as he stopped her from going any further, laying her back against the headboard, “Why did you do that!? Your wound... let me see it; is it bleeding?”

His hands frantically pulled her hands back, lifting her dress regardless of how it may look to an outside force, checking the bandages for any seeping blood through it and pulling back some of them to gain a better look at the wound, relieved that it didn't seem as though there was any new damage. He sighed, letting go of the cloth of her clothes, his entire body shaking beyond his control. She briefly seethed as she straightened back out the dress, before her attention went back to Gen, him now sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in hands.

“Gen... please... just talk to me,” she begged of him, reaching out to grab his wrist, the one with his injured appendage, trying to pull him to face her, shocked to see that his eyes were wet, tears forming, his lips twisted into a pitiful grin.

“Gen...?”

“I'm so sorry, Kohaku-chan.”

He heaved a hard set of breaths, chest tight from the crying fit he was trying to hold back. He had never cried like this before. Not before the petrification, and never in front of another person. Such as his nature. But everything about this, brought on by a new wave of panic, had finally broke him. No matter how much he wanted to avoid this, it was all brought forth and now he had hit that wall he didn't want to hit.

“I... was scared, Kohaku-chan. You've seen me scared before, I know, but often times it's an act. But not this time. Seeing you in that state... you terrified me,” he said through a strained throat, “I thought that you were... that you would...”

He didn't say the final word, but they both knew what it was. Her orbs remained on him as he tried to wipe away the tears that threatened his face, going over the scar and down his chin, watching as he tried to stop quivering. “But what scared me more was how you were. You were so... happy. And to have you smile and hold onto me, have you feel that way towards me. I... no one has ever expressed such a thing to me. And that frightened me.”

Her hand moved from his wrist to his hand, being careful to not acerbate his injury. He didn't make the effort to pull away from her touch.

“I didn't know how to handle those feelings you brought out in me. Every time I played over your words in my head, every time you gazed over my way, the way you reached out to me... I was terrified. Absolutely terrified. All my life, never has anyone ever made me feel like this. Like...”

He couldn't say another word, all of it sticking in his throat with a hard cough, but he didn't have to say another word. With what strength she could use, she pulled him towards her, wrapping her arms around him in a powerful and meaningful hug, her own tears falling and staining his clothes.

“K-kohaku-chan!?” he said in a fluster, hands at her upper arms in an attempt to try and pull her away, but she wouldn't allow it.

“You idiot!”

He was thrown off by her insult, growing still and stunned silent. Her grasp grew a bit tighter around him, her face burying into the crook of his neck.

“I was scared too, you know! I needed you, but I was afraid you were just going to leave me while you went to get help. I was so happy that you found me, but was even happier that you brought me home. That you didn't leave me behind. But when you started to avoid me... I felt like you were doing that anyway. And that scared me again. Especially since I didn't get why.”

She pulled back, tears in her jeweled orbs but a smile on her lips, “You're important to me too, Gen. And not just because you saved my life either.”

The tears he thought he had stopped starting again, although this time he laughed through it, hands moving to brush her cheeks, wiping away the tears that fell with his thumbs, forehead resting against hers as she did the same thing, joining him in laughing. The feelings that settled on their shoulders were lifted, now that they were aired out and understood. It wasn't as bad as what Gen played out in his head, but only because now he understood the mutuality of them. He was important to her, and she... she was important to him.

Their eyes remained on one another as the laughter died, her hands falling from his face with one going to his injured one, resting against the back of it as she momentarily nuzzled against the warmth of his palm. He chuckled, finding her expression to be the most cat-like in this state, fitting in with her lioness nickname. She shut her eyes briefly, just wanting to revel in the comfort of it, before opening up and smiling bright at him again, her cheeks turning a very faint pink as she felt some little levels of shyness and embarrassment in allowing herself such intimacy.

He didn't mind at all, but what brought his focus suddenly was her lips, her pale and lovely lips. His lids lowered, gazing over as he continued to be drawn in. She noticed his change in demeanor, raising one brow in relation to her thoughts. His thumb brushed her cheek again, gaze turning back towards her, and there was an immediate rush in her heartbeat as he slowly, cautiously leaned in towards her.

His lips pressed against hers for merely a second, sending a spark down her spine and a hitch in her throat, but she didn't have a chance to respond before he pulled back from her, watching as her sea-green eyes shook and glowed with the surprise of the sudden moment. He smiled at her, a real smile, chuckling as his hand fell from her cheek, leaving the touch of her hand as well, pulling away from her.

“I'll see you in the morning, Kohaku-chan,” he told her, his voice a promise to her now that he had no reason to avoid her.

He started to get up, hands at the edge of the bed to push himself off, but the touch of her fingers on his hand kept him from doing that. “Wait,” she said in a whisper, causing him to go still and gaze at her again, wondering what else she had to say or needed from him before he left.

“Yes, Kohaku-chan?”

Her fingers intertwining with his, the other reaching out towards his face, resting against the scar that crossed it, her eyes half-closed and glistening as her lips fell slightly agape. Once again, he was drawn in, but now it wasn't just him that was falling for the spell. Heads leaning in and eyes closed, their lips met once again, pressing back against one another with equal gesture. His body shifted closer to her own, bringing his free hand behind the nape of her neck, fingers trapping themselves in her tied-back locks and allowing better leverage in the motion.

For the longest time, they would remain like this, the kiss growing deeper and more heated as it continued, bringing forth every feeling of passion and care they had for one another in it, putting into action all of the words that they couldn't actually speak, until their lungs fought for a better breath of air, releasing with a semblance of regret in how it came to an end. Yet, there was no regret for the action itself, both dealing with the loud beating of their hearts and the reddened heat throughout their forms but ultimately smiling at each other with the sweetest and truest smiles that only could be shared between them. Kohaku's stomach growled loudly, breaking the afterglow of the moment and bringing her a bit more embarrassment than intended, but he laughed at her, telling her to eat her food – despite it being cold by now, for sure, but she didn't care – and that he would, once again, see her in the morning.

And, true to his word, he did, being the first to greet her come the dawn, before even Senku woke up and started the usual morning routine, helping her up and out of the bed, letting her lean on him as he led her outside, one of her arms linking with one of his as her balance. The two stood next to each other just outside of the tent, gazes and smiles meeting briefly, fingers intertwining once again as they reveled in the early morning glow and the start to a brand new day, feeling better than they had been for weeks.

“Such a lovely day.”

_**-end-** _


End file.
